


Darkest Fears and Sweetest Dreams

by morganskye



Category: The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: F/M, Fear, Jealousy, Psychological Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-25 02:41:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14967350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganskye/pseuds/morganskye
Summary: The flu has put Ray, Peter, and Winston down for the count when a frantic call comes in. Something is down in the sewers driving everyone who encounters it mad with fear. The problem is that Fear has many forms, and no one knows what truly scares them until they're forced to see it face to face.Rated for mild language, mental/emotional torment, descriptions of physical violence, and sexual acts.





	1. I’ve a Feeling We’re Not in Derry Anymore

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to thank my roommate and sounding board Siana for helping me get this idea started, and also to Sarah for giving me the right advice to keep the ball rolling.

**Chapter One**

**I’ve a Feeling We’re Not in Derry Anymore**

 

       “This is the last, I repeat, LAST time I’m going to the drug store!!” Janine was at her wits end. Yes the guys were sick. No they weren’t faking it. But WHY were they such BABIES??? She was tired too! Sure she wasn’t sick but taking care of three grown men could take it out of anyone. 

       She huffed down the stairs to grab her purse and some petty cash from her desk. Thankfully the phones were silent. A flu epidemic was rampant in NYC. It was so bad schools were closing their doors to prevent it from spreading. Chicken soup was going for top dollar and NyQuil was practically a black market item. As she was putting on her jacket to fight what was left of the late spring chill, Peter popped his head through the fire pole hole in the ceiling. 

       “I’m so sorry to ask…”

       “No you aren’t.”

       “You’re right. Can you get me some more OJ? Ray drank the last of it.”

       She heard a muffled protest, probably from Ray.

       “Last. Time.” She headed for the door at a brisk pace before another guy played the sick card with her. 

 

       Egon heard the front door slam, noting the time. This was the third, no fourth, time she had to go out to get supplies that day alone. He felt bad for her, but his current experiment needed his full attention. He had locked himself in his workshop several days ago, which is probably why he wasn’t sick like the rest of the city. He wasn’t sure how Janine had been able to stay healthy. Winston theorized that germs were too scared of her, which of course was scientifically impossible, but still a humorous thought. 

       He returned to his charts while his latest ‘blue sparking thing’ (™ by Dr. Peter Venkman, all rights reserved) flashed and beeped in a chaotic rhythm. If his calculations were correct he would be able to predict when a class five or higher would appear and triangulate their location within 10 miles. Not only would it save on possible false alarms, but they could get to the scene before the ghost caused any problems. Peter wasn’t too keen on the idea since it would be possible for people to claim that since they hadn’t called the Ghostbusters they shouldn’t have to pay for anything, but he was sure Ray or Winston would be able to lay the charm on. Humming to himself, he turned on his recorder.

       “Note to self: research charm, how it’s displayed, and possible uses/abuses.” 

       Social graces had never been his strong suit so reading up on it would be a good idea. Peter and Ray had done their best to show him how to act in public. Usually the lessons ended with “Just sit and don’t say anything.”, which generally worked. Of course that plan didn’t work so well when it came to talking to...certain people, particularly a sassy redhead who always seemed to be too close when he needed to concentrate.

       A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

       “No Ray I don’t have any Twinkies left.”

       “It’s Janine.”

_        “Speaking of…”  _ he thought. A quick glance at the clock told him two hours had passed without him realizing it. 

       “Come in.”

       Janine entered carrying several brown shopping bags. She automatically headed to Egon’s desk to offload the purchases, used to how he would keep his attention on his work. There was no conversation, or even an attempt at one, which was a little surprising to Egon. Generally she would ask about his work or make a pass at him. Today she was completely silent. He was about to ask if she was feeling alright when he heard her say,

       “That’s all of it. Eat your burger before Slimer finds it. You know how much he loves special sauce.”

       Egon turned to find his desk piled high with boxes of Twinkies, ding-dongs, cheese puffs, Oreos AND chocolate chip cookies. In the center was a brown McDonald’s bag so that he could have a hot lunch instead of just snacks.

       “Thank you Janine.”

       But she was already gone.

 

       When the phone made it to the sixth ring Egon realized that Janine wasn’t going to pick up. A glance outside told him that she had probably gone home hours before. He sighed and answered.

       “Ghostbusters. If this isn’t an emergency please call back during business hours..”

       “Thank God! I need you to get down here right away! There’s something...something in the sewers. All my guys are going nuts!”

       Egon could hear numerous screams in the background. 

       “Is anyone in physical danger?”

       “Three of my men are still missing! Please!!”

       “Sir we’re currently affected by the flu epidemic. We can’t…”

       “MY MEN ARE MISSING.”

       Egon pulled the phone away from his ear as the man yelled more. 

       “I will do my best to be there in…” He glanced at his watch. It was four am. “two hours. Have the site cleared and blocked off. Do NOT go after your men until I arrive.”

       The caller thanked Egon repeatedly, gave the pertinent information, and hung up. Egon sighed and set his testing to stand-by while he went through his options. Currently all he could really do is see if any of the guys were up to a bust. If there weren’t lives at stake he would just make the man wait, but that wouldn’t do today. 

       The Firehouse was quiet and...not as dark as it should have been. A light was on in the living area. He assumed that someone had gotten tired of being in bed and moved to the sofa. He expected a sick co-worker, but what he found was Janine. She was sleeping, a book open on her chest. He noted she was wearing some of Peter’s ‘lazy Sunday’ clothes (ie: a Coney Island t-shirt and sweatpants). Apparently she had stayed behind, presumably to take care of his friends. It was a rare moment that he could look at her without risking taunting from the guys or bold flirtation from her. Her face was soft from sleep and her makeup was washed off. Egon thought that she was pretty, makeup or no, but knowing the modern 80’s woman as he did he knew she wouldn’t go out without it. It wasn’t that she was vain, but according to Winston some women used it as a ‘shield against the world’. Egon had no idea what that meant but he assumed it was important. 

       He was still standing in the hall gazing at his secretary when Peter found him. Despite the fact that he wasn’t even trying to be quiet, Egon still twitched when Peter touched his shoulder. 

       “Jumpy Spengs?” 

       “I have a lot on my mind. We got a call for a bust. Normally I’d put it off, but apparently three men are missing. Are you up for it? Wait, why are you awake?”

       “I had to get rid of dinner.”

       Egon didn’t need an explanation. He put a hand to Peter’s forehead.

       “You still have a fever. Are the rest still as bad?”

       “I would assume so. Ray is has been getting up and down practically like clockwork every hour. Winston hasn’t done much other than sleep and take hot showers.”

       Egon nodded. “Alright. I’ll do some recon on my own and call if things are dire. Hopefully I can find the men and close off the tunnel before encountering whatever it is down there.”

       “No chance mister.”

       The men turned to see Janine sitting up on the sofa, fully alert.

       “You aren’t going on that bust alone.”

       “I don’t have much of a choice, but…”

       “No,” she interrupted. “I’m going with you. That’s final.” She was already getting up and heading for the kitchen. “Peter I need one of your suits.”

       He rolled his eyes. “Why is it always my suit?”

       “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

       “Do you really want to argue with her? You’d have better luck proving dominance with a silver-back gorilla.” Egon was about to respond when Janine returned with two cups of coffee. She handed one to Egon then sipped at her own. When he cocked an eyebrow at her she answered,

       “I know your ‘I haven’t slept yet’ look, so you’ll need coffee. Sugar won’t be enough to keep you awake. So, are we just going to stand around or are we going to take care of business?”

       Peter snorted as best as his stuffy nose would allow.

       “Best of luck Doctor,” he chuckled as he walked back to bed. 

 

       Egon, being a logical and self-preserving scientist, said nothing as Janine suited up in Peter’s gear, rolling up the sleeves to accommodate her shorter arms. He noted that in the 20 minutes between the conversation upstairs and now she had put her makeup back on and fluffed up her hair. She had also somehow found the time to change her earrings and bracelets to something that better matched Peter’s jumpsuit. He wondered if she had her own locker somewhere out of sight that was stocked with all this...lady stuff. 

       “So we’re going to a construction site?”

       “Oh ah…” He wasn’t thinking about the job so he was at a loss for a moment. “Kind of. It’s a city crew working on the sewers by Battery Park. They’re reporting what sounds like either a class V or class VII, but the foreman said he got different descriptions for all the men. It’s possible we’re dealing with a shape-shifter, or multiple targets so we’ll need to careful.” Egon opened Ray’s locker and fished out his Ecto Goggles.

       “Take these just in case.”

       Janine frowned. “They don’t fit over my glasses very well.”

       “I know the feeling,” he replied. 

 

       Once they finished loading up the Ecto-1 it was about 5:30 am. As Egon drove he continued to fill Janine in, although she got the feeling it was more for him than for her. 

       “According to the foreman, some men reported seeing snakes, spiders, and the like crawling on them, while others suffered from psychological damage. Four others had phantom physical changes, such as a limb suddenly going missing.”

       “Sounds like Fear.”

       “Well one would assume they would be afraid…”

       “No Egon, I mean it sounds like the embodiment of Fear. I just read this book by Stephen King called ‘It’. The villain is an entity that changes shape in order to terrify and ‘feed’ off their fear...or in some cases the actual person. I hope that’s not what happened to the missing men.”

       Egon made a noise of agreement, keeping his eyes on the road.

       “Every person had their own vision or nightmare. Sometimes it was someone they loved or feared, a clown, or in one case the Wolfman. Personally I can handle those...except the clown. I can do without that.”

       “I wasn’t aware you liked Stephen King. It doesn’t seem like your usual reading.”

       Janine glanced at Egon, hiding her surprise.

       “Are you engaging in a normal conversation with me Dr. Spengler?”

       “Ms. Melnitz, as you are quick to point out, there’s nothing ‘normal’ about me,” 

       “Ah but good Doctor, that’s what I like about you.”

       He blushed, coughed, and changed the subject.

       “I’m hoping that this will be an exploratory mission. I mean no insult, but if this is a ghost or demon that feeds on fear, the two of us might not be enough to stop it. My main goal is to get readings and hopefully find the missing men. I would prefer not to engage the entity.”

       “Only you can say ‘no offense’ and actually mean it.”

       “Thanks...I think.”

       An awkward silence took over the cab of Ecto-1. Janine assumed he was thinking about the bust, but he was actually wondering why Janine wasn’t…well, Janine-like today. Finally he decided it was better to find out now than later.

       “You seem different today. Is everything alright?”

       If she was startled by how he asked two personal questions in one day, she didn’t show it.

       “I’m fine, just tired.”

       Peter’s voice chimed in Egon’s head.

_        “When a woman says ‘fine, ok, or just tired’, it’s really the opposite.” _

       “Are you sure? I’m aware that the guys have been running you ragged, but I’ve never seen you so quiet.”

       He saw her smile slightly in the pre-dawn light. 

       “Funny you should say that. I ran into an old school friend on my last shopping run yesterday. He said the only reason he recognized me was because of my hair color.”

       “Have you changed a lot since school?”

       “Yes. Believe it or not I was pretty shy back then and I didn’t have many friends. I guess between seeing him and feeling run down I’m just not up to being my usual self.”

       Egon filed this information away. Janine as a shy girl seemed too implausible and required more research.

       “I didn’t know that you being you required effort.”

       She snorted in Classic Janine style, and fished a small tube out of one of the pockets of her jumpsuit.

       “Buddy, you don’t know the half of it. It takes a lot of work to be this fabulous!” she said, touching up her lipstick.

       He could tell she was forcing herself to be outgoing, but there was no more time to dwell on it. The Battery Park Service Entrance loomed before them, the sun rising just beyond the gate. Police, fire trucks, and EMS were scattered about while people in various uniforms stood around waiting. As Egon had requested there was a wide swath of open space between the city’s best and the sewer access. An abandoned utilities truck sat by the entrance, tools and safety equipment scattered about. Bright portable lights were everywhere, but were getting shut down in spots now that the sun was coming up. When Ecto-1 pulled up they were immediately met by the site foreman and a woman in uniform who Egon assumed was official rep for the police. 

       “Thank you for getting here so quickly!” The foreman was practically pulling Egon out of Ecto. 

       “Steve I know you’re anxious but Dr. Spengler enjoys personal space,” said the officer, expertly removing the foreman from Egon’s arm. “Sorry about that sir. I’m Lieutenant Carvey. I worked with your team a few months ago when a ghost took up residence in our precinct's evidence room.”

       “Ah yes. It was interesting to go behind the scenes, especially since we usually only get that far when we’re being arrested.”

       Lt. Carvey laughed. It was a light tinkling sound that made the men nearby look in her direction. Egon realized that this was the cop that Peter had tried to make passes at the entire time but failed miserably. 

       “Dr. Spengler, this is very forward of me, but…”

 

       Janine watched Egon and the officer talk. She couldn’t hear what they were saying despite the fact they were only yards away. With all the vehicles, personnel, and a newly-arrived roach coach (with free coffee God bless) there was too much noise for her to overhear anything. She tried not to be jealous of the woman who was supermodel attractive. The uniform only accentuated her athletic lines and Janine bet that when she took off her hat her blond curls would tumble down in a way that would make prepubescent boys grow chest hair. It also didn’t help that she was laughing with Egon in a way that no one could misunderstand.

_        “You can’t be jealous girl. He isn’t yours.”  _ she told herself. That didn’t stop the jolt of panic when she saw the officer hand Egon a folded piece of paper. Egon smiled as he took it, carefully putting it in his breast pocket. The cop thanked him, appearing to be equal parts nervous and excited, which only made her look (ugh) adorable. Janine couldn’t fault the woman’s game. It was solid, but why did she have to go after Egon?? She tried to distract herself with getting the equipment out of the back while  _ Dr. Spengler _ chatted up the bombshell. 

_        “Just goes to show, you can put paint on a duck but that won’t make it a swan.” _

       Janine’s heart ached. After school she put all her effort into reinventing herself, but it still didn’t mean anything. Seeing Michael yesterday, happily married with kids at his side...it hurt. It hurt because she was still lonely and alone, just like when she was a teen. She didn’t cry but she wanted to. Maybe she could pretend she was frustrated with the proton pack that just wouldn’t freaking come out of the damn equipment slide.

       “Excuse me miss? Can I help you with that?”

       Janine looked up into the ocean blue eyes of a fireman who had seen she was in distress. He was almost as tall as Egon but far more built, as his skin tight t-shirt happily showed. His uniform pants hid everything below the belt, but everyone likes a mystery, particularly when it was one wrapped up in the fantasy of a heroic firefighter. 

       “Oh! Sure, thank you.”

       Catwalk Cop and  _ Dr. Spengler _ were the last things on her mind as the buff guy with a blinding smile easily pulled the pack from its slot and helped her into it. 

       “It feels about as heavy as our full oxygen kit, but something tells me you can handle it.” he grinned, holding out his hand. “I’m Chad.” 

       “Janine.” She shook it, her mind filled with naughty thoughts about calloused fingers and delicate places. 

       “Are you new? I love reading about the paranormal so there isn’t much I don’t know about the Ghostbusters, but I had no idea they had a woman like you around.” 

       She knew from the glint in his eyes what he meant by that. A flirty remark was on her lips when a rough cough from behind interrupted her. 

       “Janine is on our auxiliary team. She doesn’t often go on jobs because she’s needed in the office. If you will excuse us, we have a job to do.”

       Egon’s words weren’t unusual, but the tone had her flabbergasted, then furious. Most people would assume he was jealous, but few people could claim to know Egon Spengler well. 

       Chad knew a dismissal when he heard one.

       “Good luck down there. See you later Janine,” he winked and trotted off. 

       The pair finished kitting up in silence. Egon could tell she was angry enough to spit nails, but had no clue why. 

       “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner to help you with the packs,” he ventured, Peter’s words in his ear.

_        “Examine, listen, diffuse. Dr. V knows how to deal with angry women.” _

       “It’s fine.” she snapped.

       “Do you need any help with…”

       “No, I’m FINE.”

       Egon decided it was time to take the ‘sit down and shut up’ advice. He followed her silently as she stormed off to the sewer entrance, pulling out his PKE meter to start getting readings. As they passed the abandoned utility truck. Egon stopped and peered inside. 

       “Janine?”

       She spun around mid-stride.

       “WHAT?”

       “Ah…” His body screamed fight or flight but he stood his ground. “We’re going into a dark and dangerous area. I think it would behoove us to use some of their tools.” 

       He handed her a clip on flashlight and some glow sticks, while he took a Maglite that could hook onto his belt. While she was distracted he checked to make sure her pack and trap were on. In moments they were back on track to the sewer. The entrance was a wide open maw of concrete that sloped gently up and out of the ground. It was big enough to drive Ecto in, but Egon felt it was better to go on foot at this point. The opening was brightly lit thanks to portable lights, however it didn’t take long for the light to dim then disappear as they headed into the sewers. Egon pulled his thrower, keeping it in his right hand and the PKE meter in his left. Janine followed his example and put the Ecto Goggles on as well as pulling her thrower. Nothing was moving or making a sound. All they could hear was water dripping and their own equipment humming. 

 

       “Janine, I want to apologize.”

       She said nothing, just kept walking.

       “It was, ah…” he failed for words, “rude? Rude of me.”

       She stopped and turned to him.

       “You don’t know why I’m angry do you?”

       Egon mumbled, nodding.

       “I can deal with the fact that you were flirting with that cop in front of me. I can deal with you scaring off Chad because you do that thing guys do. What I cannot, and  **will not** deal with is being made to feel like I’m anything less than an important part of the Ghostbusters.”

       He was truly baffled. What was she talking about? He holstered his thrower to free up a hand.

       “Janine, of course you are! And I was not flirting…”

       “Oh save it,” she interrupted. “A blind man could see the looks you two were giving each other.”

       “We’ll talk about that later,” Egon stepped closer to her. Even with the Goggles on he could see she was trying to keep control unsuccessfully. After thinking about what he had said to that muscle bound pretty boy (who he was sure was only hired to pose in fundraising calendars), it occurred to him why she was angry.

       “Janine, I never meant to make you feel like that. The team couldn’t function without you. We’d be lost, or at the very least unemployed and homeless.” 

       She didn’t crack a smile, but he could feel the tension in the air lessening. She took the Goggles off, holding them by the strap so they dangled.

       “You made me feel like I was just a secretary,” she said looking down, tears of frustration threatening to come.

       Egon put at hand on her shoulder. When she didn’t look up he moved his hand to her chin, forcing her to make eye contact.

       “You are not, and could never be ‘just’ a secretary, especially not to me.”

       He didn’t mean to go that far, but the light in her eyes was worth it. 

       “Oh Egon, do you mean it?” Her voice had gone breathy and low, alarming him in a purely male way. He let go of her chin quickly and took a brisk step back.

       “You’re more of an office manager really,” He coughed indelicately into his hand. Janine knew he was full of crap, but she let the lie sit there.

       “Come on Doctor. Let’s keep hunting,” she said, grinning.


	2. Of Clowns and Kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The further in they go, the closer the darkness feels. Beep beep Richie.

**Chapter Two**

**Of Clowns and Kids**

 

       The darkness was so complete it was scary all on its own. It made every little noise and motion the flashlights caught that much alarming. It didn’t help that they were both waiting for a ghost to pop out and say BOO at any moment. 

       “Have you ever been on a bust like this before?” Janine asked, desperate for some kind of comforting sound.

       “Yes, I’ve been in a number of tunnels, but none as dark as this. Usually there are utility lights and way-stations scattered about. I haven’t seen any, which seems unusual.”

       “Way-stations? In the sewer?”

       “This isn’t a true sewer, it’s a giant run-off for rain water and such.”

       “Explains the lack of smell, thank goodness.”

       Egon chuckled lightly, never taking his eyes off the meter. 

       “How far down do you think we are?”

       “It’s hard to say, but I would guess we’ve walked about a mile or so already.”

       “Can we take a quick rest? These goggles are killing me. I should take off my earrings too. They keep hitting my neck and making me jumpy.”

       Egon nodded. So far the meter had been quiet, which bothered him. At this point they should have found something, even residuals. They were deep underground, and offshoots from the main passage were everywhere, making the sewers a literal maze. 

       “Egon?” Janine’s voice was barely above a whisper. 

       “Hmm?” He didn’t look up from the meter. He thought he saw a blip but wasn’t sure now.

       “Egon.” Her voice was shaking. He looked up, barely able to see her with the dim light from her clip on. 

       “What’s wrong?” He stepped closer and noticed a pink gooey blob on her shoulder. Her hands were shaking, in fact her whole body was shaking as if she was freezing.

       “Janine, tell me what’s wrong.” He hoped his voice would help both of them stay calm. She meekly held out her hand. In her palm was her blue clunky earring. Attached to it was part of her earlobe, a quickly melting mass of flesh and blood. Egon whipped out the Maglite and shone it at her face. Her right ear was completely melted off and dripping onto her jumpsuit. “Hold still. Don’t touch anything.”

       Despite her faith in Egon, panic was setting in. Janine ripped off the goggles to get a better look at what she was holding. Thin wet strips of flesh stuck to the lip of the goggles, making gouges in her cheeks and forehead. She could feel hot blood dripping down into her eyes. She dropped everything to scratch and scrape her face, pulling more and more bloody strips of skin and muscle off of her. 

       “Janine, stop! Look at me. Stay calm.” 

       She looked, but her hands wouldn’t stop. The Egon she knew from so many days and nights of fantasizing, shriveled and shrunk into a old man, then an ancient one. His hair and skin became white from extreme age as it formed to his skeleton. In moments even that was gone, leaving gleaming bones. Janine wasn’t aware that she was making soft whimpering noises as she stared at him. The skeleton shambled forward to reach out for her, her name coming from it like it was whisper on the wind on a Halloween night. As it did it crumbled to dust, leaving only Egon’s skull, jumpsuit, and equipment behind. She was panting, her brain incapable of processing all she was seeing. 

       “Egon?”

       The skull shook and rattled at her, flying up into the air and straight for her. Janine snapped and fled, screaming so loudly Egon, who was perfectly fine, had to cover his ears. 

       “Janine!! STOP! It’s not real! Whatever you’re seeing isn’t real!!” 

       He chased after her down side tunnels and offshoots. She was far faster, losing him quickly. Egon could hear her yells of panic but the tunnels made everything echo. Soon he was just as lost as she was. His head whipped back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of her or her flashlight. It was so dark he couldn’t see more than a few feet even with the Maglite. 

       “JANINE!!!!”

 

       The pain in her lungs forced her to stop running. It was like a truck was sitting on her chest, crushing her. Janine bent over, panting and coughing. Her throat burned, her face burned, everything burned. The pack on her back was like a lead weight, but she knew better than to drop it. 

_        “Ok J, that was fake. It had to be fake.”  _ She touched her face, confirming that the skin was back. The relief was so much that her knees went weak. 

_        “Think. Think. Think! You’re alone down here, Egon is…well he’s alive. You need to regroup and...and something.” _

       She stood up, her legs shaking. The flashlight on her suit was getting weak, and without the goggles she couldn’t see in the dark. 

_        “Worse case scenario the guys will come find me once Egon and I don’t come back. Just hang tight. You’re a kick ass gal from Brooklyn. You’ve got this.” _

       The pep talk didn’t really help, but at least it gave her focus. She needed it as the light slowly went out. 

 

       Egon walked down the tunnel, one hand on the wall, PKE meter in the other. He had reset it to pick up bio-signals. Hopefully the ghost wouldn’t sneak up on him while he was looking for Janine. The constant steady beep of the machine was soothing in its way. Science and math were his language. They would never let him down...until it did.

       The meter flashed brightly, smoke pouring from the back. A high pitched wail was the final warning. Egon threw the meter as hard as he could, ducking as it exploded in a fiery ball that was far too big for such a little device. He stood, watching it burn, cursing himself for getting sucked in by the entity’s trick. Egon knew his work inside and out. The meter would never act like that, ever. 

       He walked over and picked up the pieces of his artistry. It was a lost cause, but it wouldn’t do to leave pieces of tech lying around. 

       “Such a disappointment.”

       Egon spun around, pointing his flashlight down the tunnel. Nothing was there. He shook his head and returned to his work. 

       “If you had come with me to the lab you wouldn’t be stuck here.”

       Egon sighed, not looking up.

       “You aren’t my uncle.”

       “It doesn’t matter if I am or not. What I have to say will have the same impact.”

       “I doubt it.” 

       Finally he turned to see a representation of his Uncle Cyrus. Every detail was exact down to the last snooty hair on his chin. Egon was far too logical to be disturbed by the image. 

       “It’s a shame to see you wasting your potential like this. Crawling around in a sewer is, forgive the colloquialism, beneath you. Your father is very displeased with you.”

       “My father is dead, and has been for some time. His displeasure is irrelevant.”

       He had returned to feeling his way down the tunnel, trying to listen for any sign of Janine or the missing men. 

       “Oh son. Of all the people in the world, you most of all should understand that things don’t end with death.”

       Egon didn’t need to look to know that his father had joined the discussion. This situation wasn’t scary, just annoying. His father and uncle floated before him, forcing themselves into his line of sight. He didn’t stop walking. Janine needed him.  

       “This is ridiculous. Whatever you are, you can see into my mind. In that case you should also see that there’s no way that the appearance of my family will have any affect on me.”

       “Not even me Spookums?” Egon’s rational mind faltered for a moment. Behind his father stood his mother. Her eyes were sad, and she looked far older than he knew she really was. It still hurt to see her so frail and mournful. “You’re going to die alone Spookums. No one will ever love you. What’s worse is that you’re not even a good enough scientist to have done anything to be remembered for.” 

       He knew it was a trick, but it still wounded him to hear it in her voice. His mother had always been so supportive and caring, the opposite of what his father had always been. To disappoint her was to disappoint the one person who had been by his side before he met Ray and Peter...and Janine…

       “Poor Janine. If only you were smart enough to save her…” his mother’s voice whispered as the phantoms faded into the darkness.

       Suddenly his brain felt like it was on fire. Every synapse was burning like a Molotov cocktail had been smashed on him. The flashlight fell to the ground as he held his head in both hands. His vision wobbled, graying around the edges. Just standing took enormous effort. However as quickly as it came the pain disappeared. Egon shook his head to clear it but the cobwebs didn’t fade. Oddly he realized he was holding his PKE meter, whole and in working order. Egon looked at it, then looked at it more. None of the lights or dials made any sense to him. It was as if he had never seen it before in his life. True panic set in as he realized he was helpless against whatever it was that was tormenting him. How could he find anyone now?

 

       Janine was in total darkness, one hand against the wall, moving slowly forward. She had no way of knowing if she was going deeper into the tunnels or not but she was compelled to keep going. The wall turned and she moved with it. As soon as she did she saw a flicker of light about 50 feet ahead of her. She blinked, trying to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. The light stayed put.

_        “OK Melnitz keep your cool. It could be a trick but it could be real.” _

       She pulled her thrower just in case, creeping forward to the light. It marked a small set of stairs recessed into the wall. The door at the top looked like it belonged on a ship instead of in the sewer. It was oval and had a large wheel in the center to open it. Janine took a chance, putting the thrower back in its cradle. 

       “Big money no whammies,” she grunted as the door locks begrudgingly released. The portal swung open with a loud whine of metal on metal. Janine slipped in and closed it back up. She had to rub her eyes and blink repeatedly because the sudden bright light was blinding. Once she had her vision back she whooped with joy. It was one of the way stations Egon had told her about. The small room was packed with supplies, shelf-stable food, water, all the way down to a cot for a quick nap. Janine forced herself not to look at the cot. She was already feeling exhausted beyond reason. 

       “I hope Egon is ok. He got even less sleep than me,” she said to the room. 

       A quick rummage found replacement batteries for her suit light, a headlamp, and some MRE’s. They were nasty, but food was food. She was looking around for a coffee maker when she spotted a small door marked ‘restroom’. Nature made her demands VERY clear, clear enough that she dashed across the room, practically ripping the proton pack from her shoulders. 

       Finally she was sitting and taking care of business. She made a mental note that if coming on busts was going to become the new normal then she was going to need a modified suit. She looked around the tiny utilitarian room for lack of anything else to do. Her heart jolted when she saw the mirror above the sink.

_        “Don’t be stupid. Of course a bathroom is going to have a mirror!” _

       That still didn’t mean she wanted to look in it. She sighed and cleaned up. Her eyes were closed as she faced the mirror. After taking a deep breath she forced herself to look and saw...her own face. Janine was elated to see that she looked perfectly normal. Sure her skin was more red than normal, all of her makeup was gone, and her hair was a wild frizzy mess, but that didn’t matter. There was no missing skin or dripping blood. Even her ears were in the right spot. She laughed at herself for being worried. 

_        “It’s all tricks and jokes.”  _ she thought.  _ “I can handle this. I’m a Ghostbuster!”  _

       Feeling high from the tension release she fished out her lipstick. Popping off the cap she was about to apply it when a creepy giggle caught her attention. Looking down she saw that instead of a tube of Wildberry Red, she was holding a red snake-like creature with a face. It laughed and wiggled around, making kissy noises at her. Janine yelped and threw it into the toilet, quickly flushing it down. She could still hear its disturbing giggles as it ran through the pipes. 

       “Fuck. I really liked that color.” 

       She struggled into her pack, gave everything a quick check, and opened the bathroom door. The way station was gone, replaced with what looked like a school hallway on a bright sunny day. Everything was clean and polished, and classroom doors were decorated with children’s drawings. Janine took deep calming breaths, realizing that she was back at her old elementary school P.S. 47. The sound of children playing outside caught her attention. Janine walked over to the large windows that overlooked the playground. Kids she recognized, including Michael, were running around, screaming with the kind of joy you can only get during recess. It was a sweet scene, but Janine knew there was more going on. She didn’t have to look hard to find herself. Child Janine always sat in the same spot at the picnic table in the shade. She was reading a book and doing her best to ignore the girls playing double dutch just yards away.

 

              Plain Jane Plain Jane! 

              A face so ugly 

              It will cause you pain! 

              Plain Jane Plain Jane! 

              She wanted to go to dance

              But nobody came! 

 

       Her heart still ached from hearing the taunting song again. Logically she knew this wasn’t reality, but it brought back so many hurtful memories of Friday nights without a date, and birthday parties with only her family in attendance. Her childhood was very lonely with only adults and books to keep her from sinking into despair. Janine recalled walking to class and hearing the light chatter of her classmates talking about who was dating who, and if they were still going to Coney that weekend. She was never invited anywhere, and certainly never had a date. The memories became solid as the hallway filled with teenagers. People she knew from back then dotted the crowd. A young boy with jet black hair and silver glasses walked past her, heading to his locker. Janine sucked in a breath, knowing exactly what was about to happen. 

       Teen Janine cautiously approached the boy.

       “Um, hello Tommy.”

       “Oh hi Janine.” He didn’t look away from his locker.

       “So...um...the Sadie Hawkins dance is coming up...and um, I was wondering…”

       Tommy slammed his locker shut, cutting her off. 

       “Don’t bother. I would never go with a boring book nerd like you.” He walked off, joining some friends a few feet away. Present Day Janine could hear them talking as they passed her.

       “Can you believe it?”

       “That’s some nerve. I bet she’s already crying!”

       The boys laughed cruelly, heading to class. They were right. Teen Janine was silently sobbing and running for the nearest bathroom. 

       “Another night alone.” Present Day Janine murmured. She realized that she was crying too. “I’m so tired of being alone.” Between the mental and physical exhaustion Janine broke down, sobbing loudly. She was tired, hurt, angry, afraid. Whatever this thing was that was stalking her apparently wanted more than just her fear. It wanted all of her negative emotions. At that moment she didn’t care. Everything was hopeless. No one would save her and no one would care if she never showed her face again. She was alone.

       Alone.

       Alone. 

       Alone…

 

       Egon sat in the tunnel, his back against the wall. It was pointless to continue now that the reality of the situation had set in. The same ‘you’re an idiot’ taunt repeated in his mind. He didn’t know if it was the ghost making him think that way or his own guilty conscious, but it drowned out everything from the dripping of water to the screaming sobs further down the tunnel.

       Screaming sobs?

       Egon bolted up, stumbling slightly from the weight of his pack shifting.

       “JANINE!!”

       He raced down the tunnel, the flashlight’s beam slashing through the air as he ran. Suddenly he was in a huge cavern made by a number of tunnel junctions coming together. It was so large that sunlight was actually coming in through numerous grates above his head. Egon looked around frantically for Janine. Her screams had stopped right before he entered. 

       “Janine? Where are you??” His head whipped around, desperate for any sign of her. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a familiar brown mass on the floor. When he fully turned he could see her lying on her side facing away from him. He either didn’t notice or didn’t care that all of her busting equipment was missing. Egon ran again, skidding to a halt beside her. 

       “Janine? Say something!” He knelt down and rolled her over. Janine’s cold, glassy eyes stared through him. His stomach revolted when he saw the giant slash across her neck, cutting her nearly to the bone. Blood was everywhere, soaking her jumpsuit and the ground beneath her. 

       “Oh God oh God oh God…” he groaned. With the kind of care reserved for sleeping children he gathered the woman up in his arms and held her close. Her blood was all over him, but he didn’t care as he rocked her gently. “Oh God Janine no...”

 

       Several tunnels away the real Janine awoke with a start. She was lying on the cot, her pack on the floor beside her. She didn’t remember falling asleep, but it didn’t matter now. 

       “Oh Melnitz,” she said to the room, “You’ve napped, you’ve had food to eat, and you’ve peed. Time to get this show on the road.”

       As she was strapping her pack on the bulkhead door squeaked loudly. There was nowhere to run in the tiny room, so instead she stood her ground. After a moment the door opened and Egon stepped in. She was beyond elated to see him. 

       “Oh EGON!” Janine ran forward and hugged him tightly. “I was so scared! I’m sorry I ran off but I just couldn’t understand what was happening. I’m so so sorry! Are you ok? Did you find the missing men?” Her excited chatter abruptly stopped. Egon hadn’t moved to hug her back. Even in his most prudish moments he always hugged her back. 

       “Is something wrong?” she asked cautiously. Her heart was thumping like a bird was trying to break out of her chest. Janine stepped back to look up at his face. He wasn’t just angry, he was furious. She had never seen him like this before. It was like a black cloud had crossed over him. 

       “Wrong? Of course something is wrong. You ran off like a little girl. You were worthless on this job. Add to it that you broke Ray’s Ecto goggles. That’s very expensive equipment that YOU will have to pay for.”

       Janine took several more steps back, her hands up in defense. Egon’s behavior was truly scaring her now. He looked like he was going to strangle her. His boots clomped heavily on the floor as he took slow, methodical steps towards her.

       “I found the men. They were DEAD because I had to waste my time trying to track you down. And where do I find you? Taking a NAP!”

       She was shaking. Egon was right. She was useless. Worthless. Hopeless.

       “You just HAD to bully your way on to the team. No one wanted you here, certainly not me. You have no skills for trapping ghosts. I would have gotten the job done faster if I had been alone! Go away  _ Ms. Melnitz.  _ If I need something typed up I’ll call you. After all, you’re just a secretary.”

       She blinked, a tiny firework popping in her head shaking loose her thoughts. 

       “What? What did you say?”

       “I said you. Are. Just. A. Secretary.”

       Janine nodded as if she was thinking about what he said. 

       “Actually,” she whipped out her thrower fast enough to make Wild West gunslingers jealous. “I’m more of an office manager.” 

       The doppelganger could only squeal in rage as Janine surrounded it in hot plasma. Due to the confined space it had no way to escape easily since it had chosen a solid form to trick Janine. Quickly she shifted the thrower to free up her left hand so she could reach for the trap attached to the pack. In moments it was sliding across the floor. She stomped on the trap release, gleefully watching the freakish un-Egon get sucked in. The trap did its job, snapping shut and beeping ‘hot’. Carefully she stepped forward and picked up the trap. It was smoking, but secure. 

       “Ok, let’s go find the real Egon.”

 

       After gearing up (and one more pit stop), she was ready to go...but where? She didn’t have a PKE meter and there was no clues to where her boss was. 

_        “Time to trust your gut.” _

       All the women in her family were a little bit psychic. Sometimes it was just strong intuition, other times it was almost disturbing how powerful the abilities could be. Janine had long ago accepted that she had gifts, although she rarely used them. Today, however, she needed more than a little bit of Melnitz Magic. Janine closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let the flow take her.

 

       When her footfalls sounded different she opened her eyes. Amazingly she hadn’t stumbled or run into a single wall on her way to the cavern. Directly in front of her was Egon. He was holding...Peter? No, HER. Janine dashed forward, desperate to get him away from the second creature.

       “Egon let go! That’s not me!” 

       The scientist made no indication that he had heard her. He continued to rock the body, crying softly into her hair. Janine’s heart twisted. Any other time she would be thrilled to see such emotion from him, but it was all fake trickery by that....thing in his arms. 

       “Egon?” she repeated. “Egon that isn’t me.”

       He only mumbled. 

       She bent over and touched his shoulder. He jerked away as if her hands were electric. 

       “Don’t touch me! Leave us alone!”

       Janine frowned at him. Clearly soft words wouldn’t do it. 

       “I’m sorry but I have to give this a try,” She raise her right hand and slapped the physicist hard across the cheek. His glasses were askew when he looked up at her in shock. 

       “Wha? Janine? But...you’re dead. You’re the ghost! YOU’RE THE GHOST!!”

       “Hate to tell you but you’re going to have to deal with me for a long time Dr. Spengler. Now drop that thing and let’s trap it.”

       Egon hugged the body possessively.   

       “NO! It was my job to watch over her, take care of her. Now she’s dead. What will I do? I can’t...it won’t be the same...I need…to protect her.”

       She wanted to cry from frustration and love. Seeing him like this was killing her.

       “Egon, you’re a smart man…”

       “No. I’m dumb. If I was smart I could have saved her.” He buried his face in fake Janine’s hair.

       “Ok, well let’s look at it this way. We’re here to find ghosts right?”

       He looked up but said nothing.

       “Ghost can sometimes look like other people, right?”

       Egon nodded slightly, looking at her as if he had never seen her before this moment.

       “We know that ghosts can get sucked into traps, but people can’t, right?”

       Another nod. 

       “Then how about this? I will stand beside...Janine...and you can open the trap between us. Whoever is left is the real Janine.”

       Egon looked down at the woman he was holding. Whatever the other woman was saying made sense in a strange way.

       “Ok. Let’s set the trap.” He tenderly laid the doppelganger on the ground and stood. He was a disgusting mess of blood and gore, but Janine had never wanted to hold someone more in her life. Egon had taken maybe six steps when ‘dead’ Janine popped up and flew 20 feet into the air, screaming the whole way. She made a dive bomb at the flabbergasted man and nearly got him when a stream of plasma caught her tightly. Janine was struggling with the ghost, which seemed to be far stronger than the one she caught before. 

       “The trap! Put out the trap!”

       Egon felt around himself for a moment before finding the device. As soon as he did he threw it with perfect aim. In seconds the ghost was bagged and tagged, the trap happily beeping ‘hot’. The two Busters stood looking at it, panting as if they had run a marathon. 

       “Egon?”

       “I’m fine. Are you?”

       “I will be after a hot shower.” He smiled at Janine. 

       “Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was difficult for me. Most of the time I'm writing action or positive emotions. Trying to convey horror, particularly mental, can be difficult since you can see what's scary in your head but that doesn't mean it translates well when written. I also didn't want the story to drag on while I described The Darkness over and over. It's a thin line you know? I'm hoping to do more like this in the future, so I'm very keen on getting feedback on this, good or bad. Feel free to direct message me as well. Oh, and my idea of how sewers look is directly influenced by Fallout 3.
> 
> Also I found out after I went looking for the name of Janine's school that she had two dates to prom and isn't the shy gal I wrote her as in school. Oops. *sweeps fact under the rug* We're just going to pretend that's not here.


	3. The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day is over and it's time to go home. Everything is fine now, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: this chapter contains graphic violence (small but it's there), and blue smut.

**Chapter Three**

**The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself**

 

       In total they had spent nearly 10 hours in the sewer tunnels. They had been down there so long without contact that the NYPD had picked up Peter and Winston to try and go in after them. Thankfully it wasn’t necessary. When the missing men emerged into the March sun (perhaps 10 minutes after Janine caught the first ghost), the guys knew that their coworkers would be ok. 

       When Janine and Egon finally made an appearance, the remaining city workers cheered for them. Janine blushed as someone, somehow, found a bouquet of flowers to give her. She briefly thought of Chet...Chad? but she was too tired to do more than sniff them and smile. After a glance at Egon she was relieved to see that the blood that had been on his jumpsuit was completely gone. Now they were just dirty and gross from crawling around underground. 

 

       Egon walked with her as far as the Ecto, but left to go talk to Lt. Carvey while Peter and Winston helped her put away the equipment. 

       “So what happened down there? You guys were starting to make us worry,” asked Winston.

       “There were two, ah...fear ghosts? Egon can tell you more than I could. All I know is that I’m tired and smelly.”

       “You must be since you didn’t even growl when Egon went to talk to Lt. Long Legs,” Peter cooed. “I wonder if she has a personal set of handcuffs or just uses the standard issue?” 

       Winston elbowed him, which triggered a coughing fit. 

       “That’s one way to shut him up. Look, don’t listen to him. We both know that Egon…”

       “It’s ok Winton. Really.” She gave the man a genuine smile. “I’m going to sit in the back ok? My legs feel like rubber.”

       Peter, who sometimes knew when not to be a jerk, got her some coffee and a bagel from the roach coach while Winston helped Egon scan the rescued men. Shortly they were free to go with a promise to give a full report at a later date. When the guys climbed into Ecto, Janine was struggling to stay awake. 

       “Home Winston,” said Peter in as snobbish a voice as his sore throat would allow. 

       “Maybe we should drop Janine off first. She looks like she about to pass out.”

       Janine bolted upright in the back seat. 

       “No!!” Immediately realizing she was overreacting, she settled back, but the thought of being alone in her apartment was unsettling. “I mean…”

       “I told her that I’d need to do some readings as well as type up the files for the system. It would be better for her to stay at the Firehouse tonight so we can get it done while everything is fresh in our minds.” supplied Egon easily. 

       She didn’t look at him, but her hand eased over to squeeze his, thanking him without words. 

 

**********

 

       Several hours and a couple pots of coffee later, everything was done. Ray emptied the traps and set the packs to charge. He wasn’t the least bit upset about the goggles Janine broke, which was one less thing for her to worry about since she wasn’t paid enough to cover a new pair. Winston made sure there was food to eat and fresh towels in the bathroom. Peter sat on the sofa watching Westerns. Between the two of them, Janine and Egon got the readings and reports finished in record time. As the clock struck 9pm Winston was just finishing making the sofa into a bed for Janine. 

       “I know tomorrow is Thursday, but don’t rush downstairs. The answering machine can handle it,” he said while she settled down. She once again was wearing Peter’s lazy Sunday outfit. Between that, the comfortable sofa, and a shower hot enough to boil eggs, she should have been asleep in moments. But as Winston walked away, turning off lights as he went, she couldn’t close her eyes. Irrational panic was creeping in when the overhead light clicked back on. Janine sat up and saw Egon walking in with two of the full-charged packs in hand. He placed one beside the sofa within her reach. 

       “I thought you might sleep better knowing this was nearby,” he said, lifting the other pack to his shoulder. 

       Janine was so touched by the gesture she wanted to kiss him, but she also didn’t want to spoil the moment by making him uncomfortable. 

       “Thank you Egon.”

       “Sleep well.”

       “You too.”

       He seemed hesitant to leave, so she got up and gave him a hug. He resisted for a moment, but soon enough his arms wrapped around her shoulders, holding her tightly.

       “We’re going to be ok Egon, I promise.”

       “Uh Janine...about what happened down there…”

       She pulled back so she could look at him.

       “We don’t have to talk about that until you’re ready.”

       He half-smiled and nodded.

       “Thank you,” he said, squeezing her shoulders. “Good night.”

       “Night.”

 

**********

 

       Time ticked away. She tried reading, watching TV, counting sheep, but nothing worked. Not even the protective feel of the proton pack at her side eased the tension. Every time she tried to sleep she saw Egon disintegrating into dust or looming over her with murder in his eyes. A sleeping pill, or maybe even a good blow to the head, was looking better and better. Frustrated, she decided to take another shower, sure that she was sleepless because she still felt dirty. 

       The bathroom’s bright bland lights were comforting, as were the smells of the various products the guys used. Janine could easily pick out Peter’s cologne and Ray’s aftershave. Egon used neither, but she knew his shampoo by heart. She was about to turn on the water when a faint, whispering sound made her hand stop. It was something giggling. 

       Janine whipped around, looking at everything at once. Nothing seemed out of place. There wasn’t any dripping blood or inanimate objects with eyes...yet. The noise had also stopped.

       “Just your mind playing tricks on you. Today was a rough day,” she mumbled to herself. “The guys are just feet away. You’re fine.”

       She hopped in the shower and boiled herself for the second time that day. 

 

       Egon heard the shower turn on. He was just as awake as she was, but it didn’t bother him as much. He was used to long nights. The only hitch was this time he was physically exhausted. His body begged for sleep but his mind refused. He couldn’t shake the image of Janine’s broken body on the ground before him, her cold eyes accusing him of failure. Egon was a man of logic, but even rational thought sometimes bowed before raw emotion. Peter’s coaching popped into his mind.

_        “If you can’t change the situation, change the conversation.” _

       Would that work? Sure Peter was referring to interpersonal relationships, but technically it could be applied to anything. Egon decided to test the theory. He relaxed and closed his eyes, allowing the horrible visions to come. First thing he changed was the setting. Instead of a dark sewer tunnel it was now his lab in the Firehouse. The blood-soaked clothes went next, replaced by their usual; Janine in her blue skirt set and him in his pink button-down and brown pants. Dream Egon walked over to where she was lying on the floor, and gently rolled her over. Instead of a slit throat she was wearing a red scarf. Her eyes were alert and glittering at him. 

       “Egon.” 

       He helped her to her feet. She looked healthy and normal, and so...so pretty. 

       “Egon,” she repeated, stepping closer to him. He stepped back in response. It wasn’t that this alarmed him, in fact it was quite normal for Janine, but Egon wasn’t sure he wanted his coping fantasy to go like this. Dream Janine apparently didn’t get the memo. She purred as she neared him, reaching out to run her fingers over his chest. He tried to put up some resistance, but it was half-hearted at best. When he bumped into his workbench, preventing further escape, he gave in.

_        “Physical release has been known to have relaxing qualities,” _ he rationalized. Besides, this wasn’t real. Fantasies never hurt anyone. 

       Janine stood on her tiptoes to plant gentle kisses on his neck while unbuttoning his shirt. Egon’s eyes closed as he felt the heat from her breath on his skin. If he had known erotic daydreams could feel this real he would have done it years ago. The soft kisses continued down his chest, over his stomach, and further down. His muscles bunched and twisted under her touch as she slipped her hands under his shirt to stroke his sides. It tickled, but felt wondrous at the same time. Eventually her hands went to his belt. She was on her knees before him now, looking up at him with lust and mischief. Seeing her like that was so sexy Egon went from hard to throbbing. 

       “Oh Janine,” he whispered as she slowly pulled his fly down. When she reached in to stroke him he nearly came in her hand. Her touch was hot, almost burning. Her lips, then her tongue were so fiery. The sensation consumed him as she showed him that she truly was more than just a secretary. She was a woman, sensual and lovely. Egon was suddenly hit with the desire to worship her properly. He tried to pull away so he could show her just how he felt, but she was so insistent on devouring him that he couldn’t get her to stop. Again and again he attempted to remove her, but each time she held on more tightly. Her hands dug into his hips, bruising his flesh. He was starting to panic because it was clear he was no longer in control of his own fantasy.

       “Janine stop!!” She released him with a loud ‘pop’ and slowly tilted her head to look up at him. Egon recoiled in terror as he saw what had really been touching him. A she-beast with lizard-like yellow eyes and a mouth full of fangs stared back with what could have been considered a smile on her face. Fast as a striking snake her nails, now foot long daggers, plunged into each side of his hips, pinning him to the worktable. The pain was so blinding that he could barely speak. The beast cackled, licking the blood that oozed out of his wounds. 

       “Please...please let me go,” he whimpered. Everyone movement caused him pain beyond words. The beast hissed, grinning.

       “Please please please,” it mocked. 

       Egon watched in terror as its attention returned to his manhood. A long, thin, forked tongue wrapped around his deflated member. Even with the extreme pain his body betrayed him. He watched as it was teased into attention, disgusted with himself for having a reaction like that. 

       “Tasty,” it said, its voice like nails on a chalkboard. “I think I’ll have some more.” It reared back, mouth open so wide Egon could have counted its fangs, and bit his crotch. This time he was able to scream.

 

       The water felt great, but it wasn’t enough to get her mind to stop racing. Something was nagging at her, some detail she missed but couldn’t find. Janine replayed the events over and over. The ghosts were caught, the men were found...the men!! There were three men missing but only two ghosts...demons, whatever! were captured. 

       “There’s a third ghost!” she yelled, turning the water off and grabbing a towel. “I’ve got to get the guys.”

       In the quiet of the bathroom, Janine heard the giggle again. She froze mid-swipe and looked down at the shower drain with wide eyes. Her tube of lipstick was pushing its way through the small grate, making kissy noises at her the whole time. It should have been comical because it had to push and distort itself to get through the tiny hole. When it finally did it shot out with a loud pop like a wine cork. It flew through the air right to her, arms spread and lips puckered. It landed on her bare stomach and began to crawl up her body, leaving perfectly formed kiss prints wherever it went. 

       “I think he likes you,” cooed a voice that sounded like sandpaper and rat poison. Janine easily spotted the...aw, fuck a clown, perched on the toilet. It looked like every other clown she had seen in her life. Over-sized clothes, bright colors, flaming orange hair, and a big red nose. A bundle of balloons floated around it and the room, giving the bathroom a party atmosphere that did nothing to stop the anxious feeling that permeated the air along with the steam from the shower. 

       “Let me guess, you read ‘IT’ too?” she asked as she peeled the lipstick off her chest. It wiggled in her grip, still reaching for her. 

       “Mr. King is a dear friend. He wouldn’t have a career without my help.”

       “Funny, I didn’t see your name in the acknowledgements.”

       The clown laughed. Janine didn’t flinch from the jarring sound. She wasn’t afraid. Oh no, she was FURIOUS. 

       “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here buddy.”

       “Oh ho! Has someone grown a spine since this morning? How interesting.”

       “I’ve always had a spine you Pennywise wannabe. You just don’t know how to fight fair.”

       The clown had the audacity to look offended.

       “Fear doesn’t have to be fair.” 

       The two eyed each other like gladiators in the ring. Despite the fact that Janine was still completely naked there was a fierceness about her that would make a normal man cower. Sadly her opponent was as far beyond human as she was beyond a mere woman. 

       The clown was about to say something when she cut him off. 

       “What’s with the lipstick? How is this supposed to be scary?”

       Amazingly the clown looked a little uncomfortable.

       “It’s hard splitting my energy between two beings. I was feeding off you and that sewer worker at the same time. He was very yummy. If you weren’t so...stubborn it would have been more fun. I suppose I should have given you more attention,” His eyes went dark, almost seductive. “I am going to fix that right now.”

       “Well then, let me freshen up,” Janine lifted the squeaking tube to her lips and gave it the kiss it had been begging for. It took her kiss, planted several more on her chin and cheeks, then disappeared in a flash of light, laughing joyously the whole time. In her hand was her original tube of Wildberry Red. The clown stared at her with shock and disgust.

       “You! You can’t do that! You’re supposed to be scared! Terrified! AFRAID! I can’t feed if you aren’t afraid! That’s not fair!” it squealed indignantly. 

       Janine shrugged. She had cheated the entity of its dinner and it felt  _ glorious. _

       “Fear isn’t fair jackass. Now get your painted up ass out of here before I throw you in jail with your buddies,” she said as she dressed. She wasn’t really giving it a chance to escape, but she needed to stall so she could grab the pack from the living room. 

       “So you’re off the menu. Fine. There’s plenty of other choices here. In fact there’s one that I know tastes quite delicious…” 

       The clown melted from sight just as she heard Egon screaming bloody murder from the other room. 

 

       Janine bolted to the living room and grabbed the proton pack without slowing down. In seconds she was in the bedroom and strapping in. The guys were awake and trying to help Egon, who was thrashing wildly in his sleep. 

       “Step back!” she yelled, powering up the pack. As soon as they heard the whine of the accelerator all action in the room stopped. Egon went limp, breathing heavily. 

       “Back it up guys,” Peter said, motioning the guys back. Janine stepped forward to the end of the bed. 

       “It’s over freak. Let him go.”

       The clown slowly appeared, squatting on Egon’s chest. 

       “I won’t let him go. I’ll feed on his fear until he’s dead. This one was easy to trick. All I have to do is throw your face on and he’s a squalling little boy. Love is so easy to manipulate it’s a wonder…”

       She had heard enough. Janine flipped the switch, activating the proton stream. The creature was caught but it thrashed powerfully, nearly breaking free. 

       “Help!” she cried, struggling with the thrower. 

       Ray had spotted the pack by Egon’s bed and was beside her quick as lightning. Between the two of them and Winston throwing a trap, the wicked clown was locked up tight. The trap bounced and steamed as the entity tried to get out. Janine stepped over to it and hollered for it to shut up. Amazingly it did. 

       Peter and Winston helped Egon while Ray went downstairs to put the trap in the containment unit. The two men had the best intentions, but were clueless as to what they should do. Egon was dazed, sweating, and kept touching his crotch and legs to make sure everything was where it should be. Janine put on her General Melnitz cap and barked orders.

       “Peter,  get Egon into the shower. Stay there with him just in case. Winston, help me strip the bed. The sheets are soaked with sweat.”

 

**********

 

       It took about 45 minutes to get things back in order. Egon was calmed, clean, and back into a fresh bed. Once they were all together Janine explained how she figured out there was another entity. 

       “I should have caught that,” Egon said wearily.

       “No big deal bossman,” replied Peter. “Red says you got whammied by the ghost pretty hard. Besides, everything worked out in the end.”

       “I suppose…”

       “Look, it’s nearly 1am. I don’t know about you guys, but I need some shut-eye,” said Winston. Ray yawned hugely and agreed. They crawled into bed as Peter made one more check with Egon.

       “You sure you’re ok big guy?”

       “I’m fine Peter. Thank you.”

       Peter nodded and went to his bed. Even though Janine had heard Egon say he was alright, she knew better. She padded over to his bed and slung the pack off her back to put by his bed. 

       “I thought I’d return the favor.”

       He didn’t reply, but gave her a genuine smile. It was more than enough for her.

 

       Janine sighed and tried not to watch the clock. The ghosts were caught and sealed away. There was no reason to still feel on edge, but sleep refused her. She thought about trying to watch TV again when she heard an odd noise coming from the bedroom. She sat up, holding her breath and wondering how far away the nearest proton pack was. The bedroom door opened and from the darkness emerged Egon. He was dragging his mattress, which explained the odd noises. She watched him pull the bed around the sofa and drop it beside her. He didn’t look the least bit surprised to see her awake. 

       “Hi,” she whispered.

       “Hi,” he replied, pushing his glasses up. “I was having difficulty sleeping and thought that perhaps you would like some company.”

       “It’s a solid thought. I can’t settle down for some reason so I’m glad you’re here. Plus I never got the chance to thank you for covering for me on the ride over.” 

       He blushed slightly and nodded in agreement. 

       “The idea of being alone was distasteful, so I assumed you felt the same.”

       “A wise assessment.”

       Egon fiddled with his mattress for a few moments, arranging it this way and that until it was just how he wanted it. When he finished he sat down on his mattress, facing her. 

       “I think I would like to talk about what happened,” he said. If Janine was surprised she didn’t show it.

       “Wouldn’t Peter be a better choice? He’s the first to remind you about his degree after all.”

       “Yes well, I think it would be more productive if I spoke to someone who was actually there.”

       Janine rearranged her pillow and blanket, then nodded for him to begin. 

       “First of all, Lt. Carvey asked me to give a note to Ray. Apparently she is smitten with him and wanted him to call her without Peter knowing about it.” 

       She made an ‘ah ha!’ face, but didn’t otherwise comment. 

       “Second of all...when I saw what was happening to you, even though it wasn’t really happening...I pride myself on logic but all I could see was you in pain and how much it...it hurt me as well. When I lost you in the tunnels, and when I thought I lost you for real...Janine I…”

       She crawled off the sofa to sit on the bed with him. Slowly and methodically she inched closer to him, gently taking his hand in hers. 

       “I think I know what you’re saying.”

       He squeezed her hand, leaning a little bit towards her. 

       “I don’t know how to verbalize my feelings well.”

       “You don’t have to.”

       He took a deep breath and shifted his body so he could see her better. She was so small. He didn’t know why he never realized it before. Perhaps it was because she had such a big presence. Everyone knew when Janine Melnitz was in the room. The hand he was holding was delicate, but so strong too. He wanted to put her in a glass case and protect her from harm. She’d never allow it though, but that’s another reason he cared for her. His free hand came up to gently stroke the side of her face. 

       “Please don’t leave me,” he whispered, desperation in his eyes. 

       “Never,” she replied. 

 

       They spent the next few hours holding each other and talking about what they had seen and felt, both in the tunnels and at the Firehouse. Egon was shockingly frank about his erotic encounter, and Janine was flattered. Not only that he really did see her ‘that way’, but that he was being open with her like never before. He thought about kissing her once or twice, but just having her in his arms was good enough for now. When sleep finally came Janine returned to the sofa, Egon on the mattress right beside her. Winston, the first one up the next morning, walked into the living room to find them fast asleep but still holding each other's hand. He thought about waking them so Peter wouldn’t find them in a compromising position, but that wouldn’t explain the bed in the middle of the floor. Instead he snuck downstairs and headed out to wrangle up some breakfast for everyone. As the door closed Egon’s eyes opened. Without moving he looked up at Janine who was dozing peacefully. He smiled, squeezed her hand, and went back to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking through to the end! As hard as chapter two was to write, chapter three just flowed out like water. Hopefully it shows in all the right ways. In the end I enjoyed writing something scary-ish, and it really does suit the Ghostbusters' world. I'll do my best to write more. Thanks again!

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so I didn't MEAN for this to be so 'IT' centered. The whole thing just kind of happened. However the more I wrote the more I liked the comparisons. Plus fear is one of those things that you can't really figure out. It's different for everyone, and that's what makes it so damn scary.


End file.
